djwudi's reviews
1096 reviews

Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold

4.0

Miles heads out to solve a diplomatic crisis that quickly becomes more of a crisis than expected (which, well, of course, that's how it works, right?). Ties together a lot of threads and brings in long unseen characters from prior books in the series. I continue to be impressed with how consistently enjoyable this series is. Only a few books left before I'm done!

Polostan by Neal Stephenson

4.0

On the one hand, it’s basically all setup — it very much feels like Stephenson wrote another 1,000-plus page opus and the publisher cut it down into more manageable pieces. On the other, if you’re the type who enjoys Stephenson’s 1,000-page plus opuses, it’s captivating and engrossing setup, as he sets the stage with events in 1930s America and the Soviet Union, with his usual digressions and fixations on whatever minutiae have captured his fancy. Hopefully it won’t be too long between volumes, as it’s a minor pity that I can’t just read the full story in one go.

Requiem by Kevin Ryan, Michael Jan Friedman

4.0

Picard gets thrown back in time to Cestus III - just days before the Federation’s disastrous first contact with the Gorn (well, first contact before Strange New Worlds started up…I’m still unclear how they’re reconciling that whole thing, but that’s not for here…). Fleshes out the story of the Cestus III colony in really good ways, with a standard but perfectly acceptable framing story as the Enterprise tries to get Picard back.

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente

4.0

A hilarious Eurovision-in-space with humanity's very existence at stake. I love Valente's near stream-of-consciousness style and descriptions that draw very well deserved comparisons to Douglas Adams. Great, and I'm both looking forward to reading the recently released sequel and seeing Valente at Norwescon in a month.

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 222 by Neil Clarke

3.0

My favorites this month were “Pollen” by Anna Burdenko, translated by Alex Shvartsman, and “The Sound of the Star” by Ren Zeyu, translated by Jay Zhang.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 63 by Lynne M. Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas

3.0

My favorites this issue were “10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days” by Samantha Mills, “Butterfly Pavilion” by G. Willow Wilson, and “Infinite Halves by J.L. Akagi.

A Very British Murder by Lucy Worsley

4.0

Historian Lucy Worsley looks at the growth of murder (fictional and real) as entertainment in British media. Fascinating and a lot of fun to read; if you’ve ever enjoyed one if Worsley’s TV historical documentaries (we’ve become big fans), this has the same humor, and it’s decidedly her voice.

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 221 by Neil Clarke

3.0

My favorites this month were “King of the Castle” by Fiona Moore and “The Hanging Tower of Babel” by Wang Zhenzhen, translated by Carmen Yiling Yan.

Simple Sabotage Field Manual by U.S. Office of Strategic Services

4.0

A fascinating little World War II artifact that in some ways can still be quite relevant. Sure, much of this is very much of its time, and many of the more specific suggestions are technologically obsolete now. But the broad strokes, and especially the oft-screenshotted section advising office workers on ways to slow down beaurocratic functions, are as useful today as ever. If, of course, you ever happen to find yourself in a situation where an autocratic fascist regime is in power and you have reason and opportunity to do what you can to gum up the works. (Ahem.)

Indiginerds by Alina Pete

4.0

A short but very solid anthology of short comics dealing with the intersection of modern indigenous life and nerd interests. Several good stories in here; my personal favorite is the last, addressing Star Trek TNG’s colonialist underpinnings and how one fan’s relationship with it changes over their life.